pallavi
nijamuga nI 1mahima telpa lEru
anupallavi
bhajana sEyum(a)ni palikiri kAni
2aja gaja simha 3sRgAl(A)ntaram(a)ni (nija)
caraNam
4buddhi(y)anu tallini vishaya viTulaku
proddun(o)sagi paikamul(A)rjincE
5siddhulu sujanula sabhaku rA nErani
5peddalu SrI 6tyAgarAja vinuta rAma (nija)
pallavi
nijamuga nI mahima telpa lEru
People cannot (lEru) truly (nijamuga) tell (telpa) about Your (nI) might (mahima).
anupallavi
bhajana sEyumu-ani palikiri kAni
aja gaja simha sRgAla-antaramu-ani (nija)
They ask (palikiri) others to (ani) chant (sEyumu) (sEyumani) names of Lord (bhajana); but (kAni)
people cannot truly tell about Your might which is as (ani) different (antaramu) as that between a goat (aja) and elephant (gaja) and a lion (simha) and jackal (sRgAla) (sRgAlAntaramani).
caraNam
buddhi-anu tallini vishaya viTulaku
prodduna-osagi paikamulu-ArjincE
siddhulu sujanula sabhaku rA nErani
peddalu SrI tyAgarAja vinuta rAma (nija)
The (so called) ‘accomplished persons’ (siddhulu) who earn (ArjincE) money (paikamulu) (paikamulArjincE) by offering (osagi) since morning (prodduna) (proddunosagi) the mother (tallini) called (anu) intellect (buddhi) (buddhiyanu) to the libertines (viTulaku) called objects of senses (vishaya) and
the (so called) ‘great men’ (peddalu) who do not happen (nErani) to come (rA) to the assembly (sabhaku) of virtuous people (sujanula) -
O Lord rAma praised (vinuta) by this tyAgarAja!
(these people) cannot truly tell about Your might.
Notes
Variations - (Pathanthara)
1 – mahima – mahimalu.
3 – sRgAla – SRgAla : 'sRgAla', as per telugu dictionary, is the telugu form of Sanskrit word 'SRgAla'.
4 – buddhiyanu – buddhyanu.
7 – tyAgarAja vinuta rAma – tyAgarAja vinuta.
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References
Comments
2 - aja gaja simha SRgAla antara – The name 'rAma' is tAraka mantra for delivering one from the Ocean of Worldly Existence. But, those who utilise their intellect for the purpose of earning money, do not know the truth about the potency of chanting Lord’s name. How can they truthfully convey the message?
In the kriti ‘bhakti biccamiyyavE’ rAga SankarAbharaNaM, SrI tyAgarAja asks ‘what avail if the capability of chanting (or reciting) and discoursing of/on epics, Agama, sciences and vEda accrue to clever persons?’
Also refer to 'ajAmilOpAkhyAna' (story of ajAmila) (Srimad-bhAgavataM, Book 6, Chapter 2)
mriyamANO harEr-nAma gRNan putrOpacAritam |
ajAmilO(a)pyagAd-dhAma kiM punaH SraddhayA gRNan || 49 ||
"Even (a great sinner like) ajAmila, who uttered, while dying (in a helpless state without reverence) the name of SrI hari and that too in its secondary application as denoting his son, ascended to the Lord's (divine) Abode! What wonder, then, if one who pronounces it with reverence should attain to His Abode?"
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4 – buddhiyanu tallini vishaya viTulaku osagi – please also refer to SrI tyAgarAja kRti ‘manasu vishaya naTa viTulaku’ – rAga nATakuranji
The following kaThOpanishad, verses are relevant –
indriyANi hayAn-Ahur-vishayAMs-tEshu gOcarAn |
AtmEndriya manO-yuktaM bhOktEty-Ahur-manIshiNaH ||
yastv-avijnAnavAn-bhavaty-ayuktEna manasA sadA |
tasyEndriyANy-avaSyAni dushTASvA iva sArathEH || I-iii-4,5 ||
"They call the organs the horses; the organs having been imagined as horses, (know) the objects as the roads. The discriminating people call that Self the enjoyer when It is associated with body, organs, and mind.
But the organs of that intellect, which, being ever associated with an uncontrolled mind, becomes devoid of discrimination, are unruly like the vicious horses of the charioteer." (Translation by Swami Gambhirananda)
Also refer - kaThOpanishad - Discourse by Swami Krishnananda
SrI tyAgarAja calls the intellect as 'mother' (buddhiyani talli); if the intellect, instead of controlling the senses, goes the way of senses (vishaya viTulaku osagi), then what results is 'vicious horses' (dushtASva) which cannot reach the destination.
5 – siddhulu – peddalu – these are words of sarcasm.
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